Australia says Vietnam cancels commemoration of 1966 battle

CANBERRA, Australia – Australia's foreign minister says Vietnam has withdrawn permission for a ceremony to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Australians' most costly battle of the Vietnam War.

More than 1,000 Australian veterans and their families have traveled to Vietnam to commemorate the anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan at a cross marking the site where 18 Australian soldiers and hundreds of North Vietnamese and Viet Cong troops died on Aug. 18, 1966.